Do you really trust your FRIENDS?

Friendship is a peculiar concept to people who are quite adept at handling life on their own – like me.  I mean, we know we need friends but we are so used to tackling situations, solo, that we forget to garner the support that friendship would afford us, if we would only take advantage of it.

Over the years, God has blessed my life with some AMAZING friends who have walked into my life for just a few months or some who have set up camp alongside of me and remained for years.  Regardless, we’ve shared treasured moments of conversation, love, tears – even disagreements.  However, all of those encounters are what makes real friends incapable of being lived without.  When I’ve been at my most vulnerable my friends have loved me enough to forget about their own issues, stop thinking about what’s happening in their lives and for a few short moments, I am the focus.  I can’t explain how important those times were for me because I have a very difficult time with that kind of vulnerability.  But when I know someone really loves me – I can do it.

At the same time, when I don’t feel completely accepted or valued – I can be guilty of “stiff-arming” or giving the “cold shoulder”.  It’s not because that I don’t like the person or don’t want to spend time with someone; it’s just because I don’t “trust” the relationship.  I don’t trust the person to be in the relationship for me – it’s for them and what they can get from me and that really hurts! 

Unfortunately, we do the same thing in our relationship/friendship with Christ.  Does that even make sense – not trusting the Creator of this world with my heart, my struggles, and my life?  No, it doesn’t make sense but we all do it because we struggle so vastly with TRUST.  Therefore, we tackle all that life has to throw at us independently - not even consulting His wisdom, expertise and compassion.  Just as a friend would be greatly wounded at our ignoring their presence in our lives, how much more so must be Christ?  I can sense that it breaks His heart because I know how much I hurt when I’m rejected by people I love so desperately, especially when I know that I could help if they would  only let me.

Just what I’m thinking today…busy, busy, busy day working out of town, away from my family and alone – independent of everyone but Him.  It’s always in those times when He reminds me of just how close He is - when I stop long enough to sense and know that He is near, on my lunch hour, of course :o)

Until next time,

Lana